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| El Salvador |  Review on August 17, 2019: |
Harmon-y
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
Disclaimer: the timeline on my account is an IR2 for my stepdaughter. This review is for the IR1 for my husband. Most of the process is not helpful for VisaJourney as it required a lawyer as he had to have his administratively closed in immigration court. It was not a DIY case.
Despite the recommendation for going to the medical interview three weeks early by the Consulate direction, we had to make his appointment Monday before the interview to occur on the 25th of July. He had to do a voluntary departure and was only allowed to leave on the 18th of July. He went to his medical and got two additional vaccines (after getting MMR, Varicella, and Tdap ten days earlier in the United States), a follow up on the MMR and an influenza (even though it is not required in the summer but what can you do). They did not give him a packet but told him they would call in 24 hours if the results of the STD testing came back positive. If he didn't hear from them, he was clear and to just go to the interview.
He arrived at the interview at 7am. He went back and gave the required/requested certificates. He attempted to give some requested documents from the NVC but was told to not give ANYTHING except that which was requested. After, he waited with his number. Then he was called back. A man asked him for our children's birth dates and our marriage dates. They asked if he had been arrested in the United States; no. Then he was asked about El Salvador; yes. They asked for the original documents of this arrest (please note that arrest did not result in any convictions but was still required to be completely disclosed). He did not have them with him. The officer gave him a green 221g and told him to bring the original documents to the Cargo Expreso with his passport and passport style photo. My husband did not understand and thought that he was going to be denied. He freaked out and told the officer he needed to come home to his family right away. The officer told him it would only take two or three weeks and to turn it in quicker for a quicker turn around. My husband insisted as I was full term in my pregnancy in the US. The officer just repeated, take your passport and the documents and turn them in. It will only be two to three weeks.
My husband was able to get the documents by Friday July 26th but Cargo Expreso had closed. He came back Saturday July 27th in the morning and dropped off the documents, passport, and photo. He also selected the Cargo Expreso for his passport/visa return at that time. The lady at the desk was helpful and reiterated to check in as per the officer's direction, starting the count of weeks/months on Monday July 29th. The CEAC website updated on July 30th with his case being updated on that date. It updated the date a few time in the next week. There were a few days of national holiday in El Salvador when the consulate is closed. On August 8th, his case updated to "Administrative Processing". On August 9th, his case updated to "Issued". August 12th, we were able to track his passport by emailing US travel docs and it was in transit. We got an email August 13th at 1am that his passport was available. It actually said it was being sent to the address we supplied on US travel docs but that was FALSE. It was sent to the Cargo Expreso he chose. He picked it up on August 13th at 9am and flew out at 7pm that night.
Overall, the consulate was accurate and as helpful as they could be.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #26873